{"id":2332330,"date":"2024-08-28T07:07:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T11:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pelosi-at-the-pinnacle-of-power-when-congress-returns-to-washington-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-28T07:12:43","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T11:12:43","slug":"pelosi-at-the-pinnacle-of-power-when-congress-returns-to-washington-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pelosi-at-the-pinnacle-of-power-when-congress-returns-to-washington-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Pelosi at the pinnacle of power when Congress returns to Washington &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpelosi-at-the-pinnacle-of-power-when-congress-returns-to-washington-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2332330&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Nancy Pelosi,\u2064 former \u2062House Speaker, is poised to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/russia-pleads-for-biden-to-invite-putin-to-apec-summit-in-san-francisco\/\" title=\"Russia urges Biden to include Putin at APEC summit in San Francisco.\">maintain significant influence<\/a> in Congress\u200c despite\u200b stepping\u200c down from her leadership role \u200bin 2022. As Congress reconvenes in September,\u2063 Pelosi is \u200dactively supporting the Democratic party, especially in pushing for a strong \u2064candidate against former President\u2062 Donald Trump. At a recent Democratic National Convention, \u2063she celebrated alongside \u2064delegates, promoting her memoir, *The Art \u2064of Power*, which has garnered \u200csignificant attention. \u200bWhile \u200cshe\u200c officially\u2063 relinquished her\u2064 leadership to allow new leadership to emerge, sources \u2064indicate she remains a key power\u2062 broker\u200b behind \u2062the scenes, advocating \u200cfor party unity\u200b and \u2064influencing\u200d major decisions.<\/p>\n<p>Pelosi&#8217;s relationship with President Biden has\u200d been complex, especially after her behind-the-scenes encouragement for him to step aside for the \u20632024 election. Although she has \u2062downplayed her role \u2064in his decision to not pursue reelection, many Democratic strategists credit her for revitalizing \u200bparty morale and \u2063guiding \u2062the establishment of a new \u200bticket with Vice President \u200cKamala Harris. Despite her \u200ddiminished public presence, Pelosi continues to \u200cwield considerable influence, underscoring that title does \u200bnot always dictate power dynamics in politics. Colleagues\u2063 recognize her efforts in stabilizing the party and\u2063 enhancing their prospects in upcoming\u200b elections.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Pelosi to return to Congress at the pinnacle of power despite stepping aside in 2022<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1739068\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>She may <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1243673\/pelosi-to-step-down-after-two-decades-leading-house-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"no longer be holding the gavel\">no longer be holding the gavel<\/a>, but former House Speaker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nancy-pelosi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Nancy Pelosi\">Nancy Pelosi<\/a> (D-CA) is relishing her grip on power as Congress returns to Washington in September.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>At the Democratic National Convention, the two-time speaker gave a brief speech in keeping with her less public position. What went unsaid is the outsize role she played behind the scenes in privately urging President Joe Biden to step aside, making it apparent that she&rsquo;ll do whatever it takes to ensure former President Donald Trump does not step foot in the White House ever again.<\/p>\n<p>The 84-year-old was one of Trump&rsquo;s major antagonists when she served as speaker and her disdain toward him motivated her to get involved in the sudden shift at the top of the ticket, according to sources with knowledge of her role.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) rips up a copy of President Donald Trump&rsquo;s speech in the final minutes of his State of the Union Address before a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. (Photo by Rod Lamkey Jr.\/SIPA USA)(Sipa via AP Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Pelosi took a victory lap of sorts at the weeklong celebration in Chicago of renewed optimism, speaking to&nbsp;state delegations and attending events, where she received a hero&rsquo;s welcome with Kamala Harris now atop the ticket. Her newly released memoir, <em>The Art of Power<\/em>, has shot up the bestseller lists, and delegates were even seen with the book last week, asking her to sign it.<\/p>\n<p>The San Francisco mother of five stepped aside as the leader of House Democrats in 2022 after losing the House majority to allow a new generation of leaders to rise. She honored a pledge she made in 2018 to serve just four more years following pressure from Democrats who viewed her as a political liability in their swing districts.<\/p>\n<p>Some argue she&rsquo;s better able to wield power now without a leadership title as Congress is set to return next month from a summer recess. She put the party in a seemingly better position to win by helping to push aside a sitting president. And she got an ally in Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), a former House member, as the vice presidential choice.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;She is a full-on power player even if she doesn&rsquo;t have the title of speaker, majority leader, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/schiff-nadler-call-flynn-pardon-abuse-of-power\/\" title=\"Schiff, Nadler Call Flynn Pardon &#039;Abuse of Power&#039;\">minority leader<\/a> next to her name &mdash; that&rsquo;s the difference,&rdquo; said Casey Burgat, the director of the legislative affairs program at George Washington University.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Burgat emphasized Pelosi is treading carefully to allow Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to take a forward-facing role.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;She is cognizant of Hakeem Jeffries and the need for him to step up, but she&rsquo;s involved in all these conversations, absolutely,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s calling a lot of the shots, but these days you aren&rsquo;t seeing her in front of the camera.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Jeffries praised the former speaker but declined to weigh in on whether she was taking a victory lap after she&rsquo;s been credited with the pressure campaign despite never once publicly calling for Biden to step aside.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think Nancy Pelosi has been a phenomenal public servant. We love Nancy Pelosi and we are proud to stand on her shoulders,&rdquo; Jeffries said Thursday, speaking to reporters. &ldquo;We look forward to continuing to serve with her.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Last week, we saw DNC delegates wearing pins with Pelosi&rsquo;s face that read, &ldquo;The Godmother,&rdquo; referring to the fact that she is the playmaker behind the scenes. She said she was &ldquo;not amused&rdquo; by the pins, speaking to reporters on August 22. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ouFHQozYW3\">pic.twitter.com\/ouFHQozYW3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SamanthaJoRoth\/status\/1828510398393585688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 27, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In introducing Pelosi on Wednesday, comedian Mindy Kaling introduced her as &ldquo;the mother of dragons,&rdquo; referring to the powerful queen in the television show <em>Game of Thrones<\/em>. Inside the United Center, some delegates were wearing pins dubbing Pelosi &ldquo;The Godmother.&rdquo; However, she said she &ldquo;was not amused by that&rdquo; when she was presented a pin at the CNN-<em>Politico<\/em> Grill at the DNC last week.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Gov. Newsom and Nancy Pelosi wrap up the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-stonewall-paycheck-fairness-act-over-employer-burdens-redundancy\/\" title=\"Republicans Stonewall \u2018Paycheck Fairness Act\u2019 Over Employer Burdens, Redundancy\">roll call vote<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dwcI8u7EzS\">pic.twitter.com\/dwcI8u7EzS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Samantha-Jo Roth (@SamanthaJoRoth) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SamanthaJoRoth\/status\/1826069166237143130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 21, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>During the roll call vote, a beaming Pelosi stood alongside Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) as he started his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/argentinas-historic-event-election-result-means-a-november-runoff-vote\/\" title=\"Argentina&#039;s election outcome necessitates a runoff vote in November, marking a historic event.\">vote announcement<\/a> by proclaiming he&rsquo;s from &ldquo;the great state of Nancy Pelosi.&rdquo; Those within the party continue to emphasize Pelosi&rsquo;s role in the campaign shake-up, giving her credit for the renewed energy and optimism over the Harris-Walz ticket. While she has attempted to downplay her role in Biden&rsquo;s decision, Democrats at the DNC dispute that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You could tell it was about bringing the party to a cohesive place, but she clearly has shown the kind of resolve and care and concern for the party and probably helped bring us to this place more than anybody singularly was able to do,&rdquo; said Basil Smikle, a Democratic strategist and former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That is power and it&rsquo;s both wise and strong,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) emphasized Pelosi&rsquo;s actions are likely to affect more than just the presidential race.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I do think that the down-ballot races, the House and Senate races are less in danger as a result, and that was one of the reasons Speaker Pelosi acted the way she did,&rdquo; Khanna said in an interview with the <em>Washington Examiner.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Pelosi&rsquo;s colleagues in the House praised her and explained she took no pleasure in nudging the president to reconsider his 2024 campaign.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Biden was asked whether he was mad at Pelosi or if he&rsquo;s had contact with the former speaker. &ldquo;No, I haven&rsquo;t spoken to her,&rdquo; he said after his farewell address in Chicago. &ldquo;No one made my decision but me. No one knew it was coming.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Pelosi said her decision has taken a toll on her friendship with Biden that spans more than four decades. &ldquo;I love him so much. We pray together. I cry over it, I lose sleep over it and the rest, but that&rsquo;s what evolved,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2024\/08\/07\/nancy-pelosi-joe-biden-dropped-out-reelection-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Pelosi said\">Pelosi said<\/a> earlier this month. <\/p>\n<p>First elected to Congress in 1987, Pelosi is seeking reelection in November to represent California&rsquo;s 11th Congressional District.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Nancy Pelosi is probably the most effective and important speaker in the history of the United States,&rdquo; said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), a close ally and friend of Pelosi. &ldquo;Her record is unmatched. She is yet a modest person. She always focused not on herself but on the public and achieving things, especially for children.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;She has known Kamala Harris for a long time, as have all of us in California. We know that we can win, but we have to work like crazy,&rdquo; she added.<\/p>\n<p>While Pelosi and Biden are seemingly on frosty terms, delegates quickly forgave her, maintaining any sin she committed was in the party&rsquo;s best interests.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Nancy can do no wrong. We were faced with a challenging decision and she plotted the best path forward &mdash; and that&rsquo;s Kamala,&rdquo; said Katherine Hennigan, a California delegate. &ldquo;She is a legend, she&rsquo;s so smart, and our party is so lucky to have her. She did what needed to be done like she always does.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d argue she&rsquo;s even more effective behind the scenes, and I hope she&rsquo;ll continue to lead us on the right path,&rdquo; Hennigan said.<\/p>\n<p><em>Marisa Schultz contributed to this report. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1739068\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1739068\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pelosi Returns to Congress in a Position of Influence Despite 2022 Departure<\/p>\n<p>Although she is no longer the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is enjoying her influential role as Congress reconvenes in September. During the Democratic National Convention, she delivered a short speech that reflected her more subdued public presence. However, behind the scenes, she has been instrumental in encouraging President Joe Biden to step aside for the upcoming election, demonstrating her commitment to preventing former President Donald Trump from returning to power. At 84 years old, Pelosi was a prominent adversary of Trump during her tenure as speaker and has been motivated by this opposition to influence changes at the top of the ticket.<\/p>\n<p>Pelosi celebrated at a weeklong event in Chicago filled with renewed optimism and received an enthusiastic welcome alongside Kamala Harris on the ticket. Her recently published memoir, &#8220;The Art of Power,&#8221; has quickly climbed bestseller lists, with delegates even asking for her autograph on copies. After stepping down as House Democratic leader in 2022 following a loss of majority control\u2014fulfilling a promise made in 2018\u2014she allowed new leaders to emerge while still maintaining significant influence.<\/p>\n<p>Some believe that without an official leadership title, Pelosi may actually wield more power now than before as Congress prepares for its return after summer recess. She played a key role in positioning the party favorably by facilitating Biden&#8217;s decision not to run again and supported Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) as vice presidential candidate.<\/p>\n<p>Casey Burgat from George Washington University noted that despite not holding an official title like speaker or majority leader anymore, Pelosi remains deeply involved and influential within party discussions while allowing Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to take center stage.<\/p>\n<p>Jeffries praised Pelosi but refrained from commenting on whether she was celebrating after being credited with influencing Biden&#8217;s decision without ever publicly calling for him to step aside. DNC delegates were seen wearing pins featuring Pelosi\u2019s image labeled \u201cThe Godmother,\u201d which she expressed discontent about when asked about it recently.<\/p>\n<p>During events like roll call votes where Gov. Gavin Newsom referred humorously to California as \u201cthe great state of Nancy Pelosi,\u201d many within the party continue recognizing her pivotal role amid campaign changes leading up to elections featuring Harris-Walz tickets.<\/p>\n<p>While attempting modesty regarding her influence over Biden\u2019s choice not running again\u2014an action that strained their long-standing friendship\u2014Pelosi acknowledged feeling emotional about it but remained committed overall towards party unity and success moving forward into future elections.<\/p>\n<p>Having first entered Congress back in 1987 and seeking reelection this November for California\u2019s 11th District seat; Rep Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), who considers herself close allies with Pelosii remarked upon how effective she&#8217;s been historically speaking while emphasizing how focused she&#8217;s always remained on public service rather than personal accolades throughout all these years spent serving constituents across America together alongside fellow Democrats alike!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3396,"featured_media":2332331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pelosi-joe-sign-dnc-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4402,3928,32603,39494,4086],"class_list":["post-2332330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-congress","tag-pelosi","tag-political-news","tag-power-dynamics","tag-washington"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pelosi-joe-sign-dnc-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3396"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2332330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2332331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2332330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2332330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2332330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}